Binyamin Netanyahu, Moshe Ya'alon, Gadi Eizenkot during drill
Binyamin Netanyahu, Moshe Ya'alon, Gadi Eizenkot during drillKobi Gideon/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the IDF Homefront Command base on Tuesday to observe the Homefront Command's annual nationwide drill "Turning Point."

As part of the drill, sirens sounded around the country except in the Gaza Belt area at 11:05 a.m. and sounded again at 7:05 p.m., with the aim being to ensure the siren system is functional in all regions and to have citizens practice taking cover at their nearest shelter. If an actual rocket attack occurs, the sirens will sound a second time.

"Like every other citizen of Israel I'm taking part in the drill, including today when I hear the siren. We're working in a very wide range (of fields) and are certainly impressed by the improvements," said the prime minister.

According to Netanyahu the security challenges Israel is facing are continuing to grow, with the prime threat being rockets and missiles provided for the most part by Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran has been supplying weapons to its Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah as well as Hamas in Gaza.

"There is very systematic and intensive work here to defend the Israeli homefront," said Netanyahu. "We have been doing it for several years now; it was seen in (Operation) Protective Edge in the great defense, but the challenges are always accumulating around us."

He emphasized that "when it comes to the security of Israel, I rely first of all on ourselves, and the proof of that is the agreement being formulated between world powers and Iran, which both paves the path for Iran to many atomic bombs and also streams in many billions (of dollars) into the coffers of Iran."

"With this money it (Iran) can continue to arm our enemies with high-trajectory weapons and other weapons, and it will also arm its war and terror machine, which is acting against us and against the Middle East, and it is many times as dangerous as the terror machine of Daesh, even though it too is very dangerous," warned Netanyahu, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State (ISIS).

Netanyahu vowed that his government will do all it can to defend Israel, saying, "we will continue to defend the homefront and we will continue to defend citizens of Israel, as we are doing in this drill."